


Not The Last

by elisi



Series: Not the Last [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Doctor Who AU, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-21
Updated: 2007-10-29
Packaged: 2017-11-08 23:06:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/448551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elisi/pseuds/elisi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if the Master and Lucy had a child during the Year That Never Was? The first part of what has become a vast 'verse.</p>
<p>(AU-post 'Sound of Drums'.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was Day 47 after the Fall of the Earth and nearly 10 o’clock. Lucy Saxon walked into the main room of the Valiant, feeling happy and well rested - sleeping in was wonderful, as was being able to take as long as she liked getting ready.

“Good morning darling!”

Her Master leapt down the stairs to greet her, but as he pulled her into an embrace he suddenly stiffened, staring at her like he’d never seen her before. Then he grabbed hold of her hand - hard enough for her to cry out in sudden pain - pushing her away.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

She looked back, hurt and confused. What was he talking about? She had done nothing to merit such fury.

“Tell you what? Harry... you’re _hurting_ me. What is it?”

Letting go he took a step back, scrutinising her. She had never seen him look like that before.

“How could you _not know_?” Then a thought appeared to occur to him, and he shook his head. “Of course - you’re only human.”

Abruptly his face cracked open in a wide grin, and he proceeded to kiss her so thoroughly that she could barely stand.

“I’m going to be a daddy! _Listen_ \- can't you hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet?” He spun around, bursting with glee, before falling to his knees; resting his head against her belly, right hand spread out across her abdomen.

Slowly his eyes fell shut, the softest of smiles touching the corners of his mouth. A secret little smile, all new. “It’s a boy...”

Lucy could hardly breathe. She was _pregnant_? She hadn’t even known that he _could_ make her pregnant... And he could _tell_? There were still three days until her period was due...

Her eyes fluttered across the room, touching upon the faces of Tish Jones and her mother - for once looking at her with shock and not hatred - before finally settling on the usually immobile countenance of the Doctor. He was staring at her - the exact same look on his face as had been on Harry’s.

Then the Master sprung up again, and, taking her hand, dragged her across the room.

“See Doctor? We are _not_ the last!”

Time seemed to stand still as the Doctor’s eyes met the Master’s excited features. Lucy could not begin to guess what was going through his head.

Harry’s eyes seemed to glow. “Do you think he’ll be blonde like his mother? I remember - your eldest was blonde, wasn’t he?”

A wistful smile crossed his face. “And there was that time when he was... Ooh how old? 6? 7? When he tried to split an atom all by himself? Nearly blew a hole in the dome... It was the talk of the Citadel for _months_. What a boy! Always precocious that one - came out top of his year at the Academy as far as I recall.” He shook his head, smiling, and the Doctor closed his eyes, for the first time ever avoiding his gaze.

“Don’t. Please...” The usually stoic voice had been reduced to a whisper.

The Master tilted his head, musing. “What? No congratulations? No ‘thank you Master for renewing the race of Timelords’? Too hung up on the past and all those people who are _gone_ \- thanks to _you_?”

A moment, then he looked up, face determined. “I know what we need - a big celebration. A party. And to start things off, I think we shall burn... Hmmm, lets see..." He walked over to the see-through globe and spun it, finger raised. "Eeny, meeny, miny, mo... _Japan!_ Perfect! That ought to impress upon my little kingdom below what a momentous occasion this is! Don’t you think so too, Doctor? A nice bonfire to announce the big news!”

He turned back to Lucy, bending down so his head was level with her stomach. “Just wait and see my boy - before long the universe itself will bow down before you!”

And, for the first time, Lucy Saxon felt genuinely terrified of her husband.


	2. Chapter 2

Total silence reigned as the Master walked up to the top of the stairs, a tiny bundle in his arms. Every worker and soldier on the Valiant was assembled below, waiting nervously - the last 12 hours had been nerve-wracking, especially after the Master had killed one of the midwives in a fit of frustration.

Looking out over the small crowd and into the camera pointed at him, the Master smiled.

“My subjects! Please extend a warm welcome to - _Alexander the Great!_ Or, you know, just grovel. Either will do just fine!”

He waited a moment for the applause to ebb out, then he descended, holding out the baby to the Doctor.

“Look! Isn’t he perfect? Do you like the name?”

The Doctor did his best not to show how affected he was, which wasn’t hard. Sometimes being old was very useful - and there was no way he was going to show emotion. He’d have to appear be as detached as possible...

“I’m wondering why you didn’t just call him ‘The Great’ and have it done with?” he asked drolly.

The Master grinned, and shot his son an adoring glance. “Oh he’ll choose his own name when the time comes - won’t you my boy? And until then... Did you notice that I chose a _human_ name, Doctor? A legendary emperor...”

“Who just happened to massacre thousands...” 

“And they still think he’s _great_ , don’t they?” The Master was suddenly cold. “The only reason they hate _me_ is that I’ve managed to do what none of them has - conquer the _whole_ world.”

Standing up he dismissed the assembled humans with a wave and strode over to the window, holding up the infant so he could look out too. 

“So small, isn’t it? Such a small kingdom. But don’t worry little prince, soon enough we’ll have more worthy subjects to rule over. And maybe a castle... what do you think, does a castle sound nice?”

The baby made a little cooing sound and the Master chuckled. 

“Yes, I think so too. And it’ll have dungeons I think - nice and dark!” He shot the Doctor a pointed look over his shoulder, and the Doctor closed his eyes. 

_‘Not long now... Oh Martha, the plan has to work. Because now I also have to save a child before his father turns him into a monster.’_


	3. Chapter 3

It was one of the longest days the Doctor could ever remember. Funnily enough sitting around in a wheelchair for a year hadn’t given him some sort of store of saved-up energy...

So many details to sort out - the most important and immediate of course being dealing with the Master and his family. The Doctor had managed to find a suitable house for Lucy and the baby, setting up a perception filter around it and - being short of trustworthy, impartial people - calling up Sarah Jane to watch over them. Also of course he had to mess around with government files, so the authorities wouldn’t ask questions - Jack and Torchwood had been very handy in that respect. Although top of the list had obviously been securing a room in the TARDIS so not even a Timelord could escape...

Slowly he opened the door, wishing he could post-pone this talk, and yet knowing that there was no way around it.

_(Don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink and everything's lost. And he **needs** to understand what's at stake.)_

The Master looked up, calm by now, but the anger was obviously still boiling right underneath the surface.

“Come to tell me my terms, have you? All the little hoops I’ll have to jump through to earn my ‘visitation rights’?”

The Doctor shook his head. “Not quite.”

The Master’s eyes narrowed. “What does that mean? I _agreed_ to this imprisonment,” - the words were obviously near impossible to get past his lips - “on the understanding that I could see my boy!”

“Yeah...” The Doctor studied him, “That’s the part I’ve got a problem with. Could it be that there’s something in this world you value more than your own life?”

The Master didn’t answer, just stared at him coldly.

Letting his mind go back over recent events, the Doctor could still vividly recall the Master’s total panic as time began reversing, followed by his frantic rush to Lucy’s side to make sure the baby was still there - and his subsequent blinding fury. It had taken Jack and three of the soldiers to hold him back...

_“You could have killed him - unmade him! You nearly destroyed **my son** , Doctor - I swear I’ll get you for this! I wish I’d killed all your precious humans and you too! Just wait - one day... one day I’ll get my revenge! Do you hear me?”_

Was it actual selfless love of another? Was it possessiveness - or obsession? Or something different again? He didn’t know. Maybe even the Master himself didn’t know. But the Doctor wasn’t about to take a gamble on anything as capricious as feelings.

“Look,” the Doctor leaned against the door frame, “here’s how it is. You get one chance - just like everyone else. We’ll sort out visits and playtimes and trips out, even. But try anything - a bribe here, some mind control there, a sneaky plan to steal the boy - _anything_... and that’s it.”

The Master tilted his head.

“What do you mean ‘that’s it’? I don’t get to see him anymore?”

The Doctor smiled coldly. “Not quite.” He reached inside a pocket, pulled out a mirror and tossed it to the Master.

“Ask her what I mean. She’s one of those who learned the meaning of ‘no second chances', and - unlike most of the others - lives to tell the tale.”

The Master held up the mirror, checking out his own reflection and flattening some of his hair, which was still somewhat in disarray; then looked up, clearly thrown.

“What am I supposed to do here? Is it some sort of riddle - seven years bad luck if I break it?”

“Keep looking. She’s there - right out of the corner of your eye... I’m sure you’ll catch her sooner or later.” The Doctor turned, hand on door handle. “I have things to do - enjoy your chat.”

*

  


It was several hours before he returned, but when he opened the door the Master immediately sat up, smiling widely.

“But look! It’s my favourite Doctor! The man who imprisoned a poor little girl for all eternity. Nasty business that, Doctor, _very_ nasty. I think I might be impressed!”

“Good.” The Doctor caught his eyes and held them. “I trust you won’t waste your chance.”

“Aww...” The Master really did excel at mocking. “But I thought you forgave me _everything_!”

The was a long moment, then the Doctor answered, features immobile.

“I forgave. I didn’t forget.”


	4. Chapter 4

_Spring 2011_  
The headmistress looked from the Doctor, to Alexander, and finally settled on Lucy’s face.

“Well this is... quite incredible. I’m still somewhat shocked that Harold Saxon has a son.” She shook her head. “If he’s 4 now, he must have been born before the election, but that’s... I cannot recall you being pregnant, Mrs Saxon...”

Lucy swallowed nervously, and the Doctor leaned forward.

“It’s... a little complicated. Just take our word that he really is his father’s son.”

“Of course Mr Smith, but...” Mrs Netherton’s eyes drifted towards the boy again, and she frowned a little. “Actually - how much does he know about his father?”

“Oh we’ve not kept anything from him!” the Doctor replied immediately, thinking to himself that this would also have been impossible, the boy being what he was.

“My Daddy was an evil overlord!” Alex suddenly announced, with all the innate eagerness of his 4 years.

Lucy gasped. _“Alexander!”_

“But he _was_ mummy! You were there too!”

Lucy swallowed, and sent the Doctor one of those looks that said: _‘ You deal with him!’_

The Doctor hated those looks - he always ended up as ‘The wicked step-dad’ when that happened.

“Alex...” he began, voice stern, but the boy knew what was coming and held his head high. “Daddy told me never to be ashamed of who I am!”

“Of _course_ you shouldn’t be ashamed,” The Doctor replied carefully. “But that doesn’t mean you should boast.”

“Oh,” he answered, a little put out. “Sorry Uncle.”

“Hey, no worries, I just think you confused poor Mrs Netherton.”

He turned his head and smiled at the headmistress again.

“As you can see, it’s... a bit of a tricky situation, and were hoping to be able to keep his parentage as secret as possible. If the press found out about him we would never get a moment's peace. Which is what we want. Peace. So he can grow up like a normal child...”

Mrs Netherton nodded, and Lucy, eyes bright, took over.

“Of course that doesn't mean that he's _ordinary_ at all. He’s _incredibly_ gifted, you see - just like his father. Really remarkable, even compared to the sort of children you teach here. We _did_ consider just letting him do a university course, but he really could do with friends his own age.”

Despite obviously being somewhat thrown by the oddness of the situation, Mrs Netherton was clearly thrilled to have someone this famous at the school.

“Well... we _are_ the foremost school for gifted youngsters, and would certainly be proud to have young Alexander amongst our pupils. He would have to do the standard entrance test of course - a mere formality, I’m sure, but we do need the paperwork to be in order - and you can count on our discretion.”

Lucy smiled, pleased, and the Doctor allowed himself to relax somewhat.

Then the headmistress leaned forward, smiling.

“So tell me Alexander, what do you want to do when you grow up?”

Alex’s eyes lit up. “I want be a fireman, or a space adventurer, or the ruler of the world!”

Mrs Netherton’s eyes widened, and Lucy looked like she was going to faint. The Doctor dragged a hand through his hair.

“Alex, we've talked about this. The answer is still no, you can’t!”

Alexander lifted his chin defiantly. “But _Daddy_ said I could! Daddy _promised_!”

“Yes, but that was a long time ago, and he's no longer in the position to make such promises, is he now?” He caught the boy’s eyes, and looked at him sternly. The Master had surprised him by following every rule to the letter, but sadly the Doctor had not been able to stop him filling the boy’s head with dangerous dreams... He had not foreseen the Master fighting over the boy _through_ the boy, and there was nothing he, the Doctor, could do. The child was still too young to understand the darkness of his father's actions, and not for all the world did the Doctor want to ruin his innocence.

Alex didn’t give up easily and kept arguing his case. “But I'd be really _nice_! I don't like burning things - I'd look after everyone.”

The Doctor shook his head. Time to lay down the law. “You can't. Humans need to look after themselves.” Even as the words came past his lips, he felt ready to bang his head against a wall, because he could almost hear all the questions welling up in the headmistress who was studying them, eyes narrowing. Alex however was now sulking.

“Daddy said I could rule the whole _universe_! And we’d have a castle! You’re not fair!”

Lucy appeared to have regained her composure, and carefully asked, “When did Daddy say that?”

“The day I was born.”

She stared at him, and the Doctor saw the familiar look of awe come over her face again. It was obvious that her son was now the centre of her world, the way her husband had once been, and the Doctor worried what effect such single-minded devotion would have on the child in the longer term. But there was not much he could do...

He sighed again.

“You know what he is, Lucy. And Alex - what is your father?”

Alexander pulled a face, then answered resignedly. “Daddy is an evil psychotic megalomaniac.”

The Doctor nodded. “Good boy. Never forget that, OK?” He looked up and smiled widely at the lady in front of him. “Dear Mrs Netherton. Why don’t you find that test, and while the boy is busy we have a little talk?”

She nodded eagerly, and the Doctor stretched, trying to get the tension out of his limbs. He didn’t like mind wipes, but what other option was there?

Knowing that the Master would laugh his head off when he heard about his slip wasn't exactly cheering, and the Doctor wondered yet again what had happened to his life. Responsibility had never really been his thing...

Oh he could save the world, easily, could cope in the most heated of situations, but this day-to-day stuff, juggling all these people and trying to raise a child without letting his parents ruin him was incredibly difficult and frustrating - as was constantly having to hold him back. Growing up in a world not his own was fraught with compromise, but hopefully having peers his own age would be good for him.

Mrs Netherton got up and held out her hand. “Well Alexander, are you going to come with me and do a little test?”

Alex got up and happily took her hand.

“Does it have astrophysics? I love astrophysics!”

Mrs Netherton chuckled. “So you like astronomy, is that right?”

Alex nodded eagerly. “My uncle has promised to show me a black hole on Saturday if I’m good! Our people invented them!”

Lucy paled for a moment, but as soon as the door closed she turned to the Doctor and pointedly said, "Well you're obviously going to have to sort _that_ out!" - as if the situation was all the Doctor's fault and didn't have her husband's fingerprints all over it.

He glared back silently, yet again thinking to himself that the Paradox Machine might have been the Master's masterpiece, but that in his opinion Lucy came a close second. Times like these he often felt like asking her if she honestly thought her husband would still be so devoted if it wasn't for their child - he knew the Master to be notoriously careless with his toys, and he felt sure that Lucy would have gone the same way as all the rest if things had been different. But he didn't say that, because that would mean lowering himself to their level, and that was the one thing he couldn't do.

And things were bound to be easier once Alex started school. He'd get away from his parents' influence, would be able to see what normal families were like and hopefully get some real friends - the children here ought not to think his soaring intelligence something strange...

Like that time at the local toddler group, when - after being asked if he 'could draw a pretty picture?' - had proceeded to write down pi to a thousand decimal points 'because pi was the prettiest number he knew'; not understanding why all the mums were looking at him so oddly... he'd used _human_ numbers after all.

No, in this instance the Doctor just needed to have a _long_ talk with him before he started, and everything would be fine. It _had_ to.

Sometimes he felt that it was a crazy idea, enrolling a Timelord in a human school, but he was willing to do anything he could to make sure that Alex's childhood wasn't a lonely one.

 

  
********   


  


_Autumn 2011_  
“Here he is!” Jack announced, closing the TARDIS door behind him as Alex happily ran around the rotor and climbed onto the old seat, before beginning to type something into the TARDIS screen.

“Thank you!” the Doctor umphed, being stuck somewhere underneath the console, wrapped up in wires. “Could you find my screwdriver? It rolled away and I can’t see it.”

Jack swiftly located it, and, as he handed it over, tried to squint at all the cables. “Does this have something to do with the TARDIS looking like it was dipped in gold?”

After some buzzing the Doctor stuck his head up “Yes. Can you go check what it looks like now?”

Jack took a few steps out the door, and the box was nicely blue again.

“Yep! Back to normal,” he reported as he came back inside. “Gonna tell me what happened?”

The Doctor uncurled himself unto the floor.

“The Master. He was bored and decided to fix the chameleon circuit. I told him it was probably useless and that I _like_ it looking the way it does, but he had to mess around until he did _something_.”

He replaced the grates and looked up. “Thank you lots much for picking him up, but I couldn’t travel looking like a Fabergé egg. And Lucy insists I pick him up whenever I'm here - something about the traffic...”

”You know she's got a point - I think it would have been quicker to walk. Although Alex likes my car, don’t you little fella?”

“I want a car _just_ the same when I get big enough to drive! And _pleeeeeeeease_ Uncle Jack can I come Weevil hunting with you soon?”

“No!” Jack replied immediately. “Much too dangerous for little boys - even if they are as smart as you.”

Alex sighed audibly, tapped a few more keys, then looked up. “Uncle, what do I do next?”

The Doctor walked around the console and studied the screen. “Well you can do the Millennium Falcon now if you like. Try to work out what modifications Han made to the hyperdrive - you've got a couple of hours before you have to be home.”

“Wicked!” Alex grinned, and started typing avidly.

“He’s playing Star Wars games?” Jack asked, amused, and the Doctor shook his head, smiling. “Oh no, it’s his homework. Not his _school_ homework, the stuff that I set up for him. These last few weeks he’s been working on calibrating how the spacecraft in Star Wars propel themselves. He’s come up with some very inventive ideas.”

“O-kay” Jack replied, then suddenly remembered what the teacher had told him. “And by the way - Miss Rimmauld took me aside, saying what a wonderful calming influence Alex is. They’d been a bit worried, what with talented kids often being bitchy and competitive, but apparently there’s hardly a single argument when he’s around.”

He smiled happily, being very fond of the boy, but the Doctor frowned, then pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, before leaning against one of the supports, the green lights suddenly making him look very tired.

“Just what I need... and here I was, thinking that just making sure he didn’t let slip that he wasn’t human would be enough...”

He briefly closed his eyes, and Jack shook his head. “I’m sorry - but was that supposed to make sense?”

The Doctor sighed. “Never thought about the fact that he might _use_ any of his powers...”

Seeing that Jack was obviously still confused, he added, “He’s _making_ them behave. Probably because I told him not to get into trouble...” Shooting the engrossed boy a glance, he smiled wryly. “At least his dad will be pleased.”

Jack suddenly got it. “You mean he’s hypnotising them?” He stared at Alex, the young boy’s brow furrowed in concentration.

“Oh no,” the Doctor replied, waving away the accusation, “it's more like he's leaning on them mentally - subconscious suggestion might be the best description. It’s child’s play - literally. He probably doesn’t even realise that he’s doing it.”

“So... it’s a Timelord thing,” Jack established.

The Doctor nodded. "You could say that. I've training him mentally, obviously, but this never occurred to me. It's been so long since-"

He cut himself off abruptly, eyes fixed on the blond child who was now biting his lip and tilting his head; clearly thinking hard about what he was doing.

Taking a deep breath the Doctor slowly peeled away from the beam he was leaning on, obviously unwilling to discuss whatever memories had come back to haunt him. “Think I’ll save that talk for later, I’m tired of being the no-fun-parent. And I meant to ask you, have you heard from Martha recently?”

“Oh yes - she came down to visit a couple of months ago, bringing her fella with her. Think that might be getting quite serious by the way - he took the Torchwood tour rather well and she didn’t ask for any retcon!”

Alex suddenly looked up from his work. “Uncle?”

“Yes Alex?”

“PleasecanIbringMyfanwyforShowAndTellonFridayJacksaidIcould!”

The Doctor looked puzzled, and Jack smiled apologetically.

“The pterodactyl. It’s called Myfanwy. I said he was allowed if you agreed - I mean it’s not like the world is unaware of aliens and things. It's kinda big though...”

There was a pause as Jack and Alex waited for the Doctor’s verdict. Slowly he shook his head. “I... don’t think it’d be a good idea...”

Jack shrugged, and Alex’s face fell. The Doctor looked from one to the other, and suddenly the familiar devil-may-care smile lit up his features.

“But... if you like, we could go try to catch a pterodactyl to keep as your own pet... would you like that? Just a little one that'd fit in the TARDIS.”

Alexander’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. “Really? Really truly?”

“Yeah, why not? They’re easy enough to look after, aren’t they?”

He looked at Jack for confirmation, and Jack grinned back. “Never had any problems. Eats anything.”

“Okay!” The Doctor said happily. “Alex - if you can remember in what period you find Pteranodon, you can set the TARDIS controls...”

Alex’s squealed with joy and after some intense thinking started typing, then jumped off the seat and started pulling levers.

“Can Daddy come too?” he asked, excitedly, and the Doctor spread his arms. “Why not? Chasing flying lizards ought to stop him being bored.”

The boy laughed and ran off. “Daddy! Daddy! Guess where we’re going?”

Jack looked at the Doctor and raised a quizzical eyebrow.

“Weeeeell...” the Doctor smiled, carefully checking the settings, and adjusting a few. “What's the point of being a Timelord if you never travel in time?”


	5. Chapter 5

_Spring 2012_  
“Doctor! Doctor! Look!” Martha burst through the door to the TARDIS kitchen, holding up her hand where a large diamond ring was sparkling.

“What did I tell you? Congratulations!” he answered, scooping her up in a warm hug. Only when he put her down did she notice the Master reclined on a chair. Lifting his mug he raised an ironic eyebrow.

“To the happy couple! Milligan is his name, yes? Well Martha, my dear, you’ll alliterate. Hope you have a brilliant life together!”

Martha looked back and answered, voice frosty. “It would mean so much more if you hadn’t _murdered_ him in front of my eyes!”

The Master suddenly looked interested. “Really? I did? When?”

There was a brief moment’s silence, then Martha replied. “Back when I’d been walking around the world, and you came down to ‘pick me up’. You were about to kill me, and then...”

“Ooooh - he ran out to save you! Oh yes, I remember that... was that really him? Well done girl, you got yourself a real hero there!”

Martha stared at him with ill-concealed disgust in her eyes. “You killed him, and then you _laughed!_ Don’t be expecting a wedding invitation!” She took a deep breath, turned back to the Doctor.

“However, we would love for Alex to be a pageboy!”

The Doctor smiled. “Of course - he’ll be delighted. Do you want to tell him yourself? I’m picking him up soon.”

She considered this, then shook her head. “Sorry - I have a lot of people to call and my mum is over the moon, already busy planning the flowers and the catering and the dress...” she threw her hands up. “I’ll see you later, OK?”

She left, phone already to her ear, and the Doctor sighed. He was happy of course, but weddings were always the harshest reminder of all of what he couldn’t have. He hoped Rose had married by now - that she would have grasped life and lived it truly. He thought back to Joan, and his brief stint as human... and then his thoughts turned to Alex yet again. Just a happy child, busy with friends and school (although of course he was way, way ahead of everyone else), not yet grasping how fundamentally different he was. Of course he would have been more challenged in a different environment, but the Doctor had wanted to give him a happy childhood at least...

What would he do when he grew up - marry a human, like his father? What if he had children? How much could they mingle their blood before they lost what they were? (He never thought he’d understand Cassandra, but there it was...)

He was torn out of his musings when the Master spoke, an amused look on his face. “Now see _that’s_ a girl who knows how to hold a grudge. None of that forgiveness rubbish that you keep peddling Doctor.”

Turning shrewd eyes on the Doctor he suddenly asked, “Tell me - if I’d killed your precious Rose, would you have forgiven me _that_?”

“No.”

The answer was immediate - so much so that it almost took the Doctor himself by surprise.

The Master chuckled.

“Aw, a Timelord in love! How sweet.”

The Doctor didn’t raise to the bait, and had almost decided just to walk away, when the Master continued.

“But why _her_ , Doctor? I looked her up, and she was just a cute little girl with a few GCSE’s who worked in a shop. Was it her bravery? Looking into the timevortex takes guts, I’ll give you that, but Martha is hardly lacking in that department, and she has the brains too! Could have beaten Rose in any pub quiz - not to mention University Challenge. So could Sarah Jane for that matter.”

The Doctor found himself back at the table, hand under chin, mind wandering back to times he tried not to dwell on, because it still hurt too much.

"She saved me," he said, quietly, almost speaking to himself.

"Well you have a habit of getting into stupid fixes," the Master shrugged.

"No," the Doctor sighed. "I don't mean that she saved my life, although she did plenty of that. She saved _me_!"

"Now that really makes no sense at all!" the Master stated, before taking a sip of his tea and then pulling a face because it had gone cold.

The Doctor studied him silently for a moment, then made up his mind. No one else would ever understand...

“The first thing I ever showed Rose was the end of the world.”

The Master looked at him sharply, but the Doctor shook his head. “Not Utopia. The end of _this_ world. Year 5 billion. Earth go boom. Nothing left except rocks and dust floating in space... Just like Gallifrey. I’d been alone ever since the war, barely speaking to anyone, and then when she took a chance on me, I showed her that everything ends. Just like you did with Lucy...”

He stared ahead, remembering the moment when his world had changed...

_“What sort of date are you? Come on then, tightwad, chips are on me. We've only got five billion years before the shops close...”_

Slowly he looked up, met the Master’s eyes.

“And she showed me that the fact that things end, means that we have to live _now_. She - she taught me how to live again... gave me something to believe in.”

The Master was studying him silently, clearly puzzled at this sudden openness. The Doctor shook his head, smiling. “And she wouldn’t let me run away - moved heaven and earth to get back to me. Oh you should have seen her when she destroyed the Daleks...”

Then impulsively he reached out, fingertips to the Master's temples. “Look! Look what she did to the Emperor that you fled from...”

The Master closed his eyes and there was a moment of silence, until a smile slowly spread across his face. “Wow... Atta girl!”

Then suddenly his eyes snapped and he stared at the Doctor, shocked and delighted.

“Holy f- _you never slept with her!”_

The Doctor tore his hands away as though scalded, but the Master’s face was still a picture of glee.

“That’s enough!” the Doctor replied, scowling, but he knew it was useless. Trust the Master to use his one chance of peering into his mind to look for anything dirty.

The pterosaur chose that moment to sweep through the door, landing on the table and devouring what was left of the scone on his plate.

The Master reached out and scratched its head. “You think he’s crazy too, don’t you Leia? Girl like that and he only kissed her to save her life...” The reptile shook its head a little and started on the rest of the scones. The Doctor frowned.

“Why’s it so friendly? It’s done nothing but attack people ever since it hatched...”

The Master smiled. “Oh I fixed it a little - I mean what’s the point in having a pet if you can't pet it? And Alex was so disappointed that he couldn’t tame it.”

“Why? Why do you always have to do that?”

“Do what?” The Master looked genuinely confused.

“Control everything. Fix it, change it, make it fit to your world view...”

The other smiled, tilting his head. “It’s who I am. Should I tell you to stop helping people?”

The Doctor sighed. Every time there was a connection, it was snapped in half - sharp reminders everywhere of why this man was his enemy. His eyes narrowed. “Just know this: if you try to do anything - _anything_ \- to Alex...”

The Master looked back, suddenly cold. “I would never harm my son. Ever.”

“That’s not what I said,” the Doctor replied, and walked out.

A little later he was standing in front of the TARDIS console - he really had to go pick up Alex from school now... Although of course he could go halfway across the galaxies and still be on time. Yes - he had all the time in the world, and yet he could feel it moving past him, too swiftly, too swiftly by far.

Their little boy was growing up and the Doctor knew that there would soon come a day when he would begin to ask questions in earnest. The last of the Timelords - but without a home, without a people.

And what would he say when he finally understood what that meant?

As the Doctor mechanically typed in the co-ordinates, he couldn’t help thinking:

_‘Will he hate me too?’_


	6. Chapter 6

_April 2015_  
It was one of those evenings where Lucy could almost fool herself into thinking that her life was normal.

Almost.

Her son was asleep upstairs, and Harry and the Doctor were having a cup of tea after a nice dinner, chatting amicably, as though they were ordinary friends, and the Doctor had just come round for a pleasant evening. As though her husband wasn’t a prisoner, and wouldn’t leave her house again tomorrow morning, not returning for another month. But for a few hours she could pretend...

And then normal evaporated.

The Master shot the Doctor one of those _looks_ , and said: “He’s almost eight.”

The Doctor appeared unconcerned. “Oh yes, he wants one of those 3D Wii games and a trip to Betelgeuse. Tried to explain that he won’t be seeing Ford or Zaphod there, but...”

The Master didn’t reply.

There was a pause as the Doctor shifted uncomfortably. “Earth years are shorter...”

“He will be _eight!”_

“And it’s _gone!_ The Schism is no longer, and good riddance!” The Doctor was suddenly impassioned.

The Master didn’t even flinch. “Make a new one!”

Another pause as the Doctor’s eyes widened. _“What?_ You - you want me to _create_ a gap in the fabric of reality for the sake of scarring one little boy for the rest of his life? After what it did to you, how can you _possibly_ ask for that?”

The Master’s face was like flint, not a hint of the sarcasm or slippery wit that he usually hid behind. “He is a Timelord! The vortex is his _right!”_

The Doctor got up, furious. “No. Not even if I could.”

When he was by the door, the Master spoke again, voice more quiet than Lucy could ever remember.

“Please.”

The Doctor stopped and turned. A long silence followed, as the Timelords looked at each other, and Lucy didn’t know what to think. She just knew that suddenly she feared for her son. Feared for what these aliens would do to him. Feared who he was - and what he might become.

*

  


_‘I can’t believe I’m doing this.’_

It was dark. The purple-blue grass of the field shone orange in the flickering golden light from the torches, and the sensory memories were almost immobilising the Doctor. The way the stiff, tall collar cut out half his vision didn't help - the Master had insisted on official robes, knowing full well that the Doctor had several in his wardrobe, hidden away right at the back... Yes, the Master really did love the classics, if it was countdown clocks or wearing appropriate costumes. Although of course the Doctor had had to have Alex's outfit specially made...

As they slowly made their way toward the Schism, the Doctor wondered if he'd ever forgive himself for what he was doing - just looking at the boy's slim little form brought home yet again what a traitor he was.

He glanced sideways at the Master, but his face was unreadable. Did he know what this had cost the Doctor? Quite probably, but he would never acknowledge it. And again the Doctor tried to work out why he was doing this...

For nearly eight years the Master had been his prisoner, and not once in those years had he asked for _anything_. The Master complained, the Master demanded, the Master let his wishes be known - but only once had he used the word 'please' - only once shown any vulnerability at all.

And... there was the fact that they were both at a loss as how to teach the boy about who - what - he was. Their ancestry, their home, was so deeply ingrained in them that they had both rebelled against it, wanting something different from life. But now there was only a void, and no story or lesson could ever encapsulate what Gallifrey had been.

And this - this ritual, as barbaric in its own way as any other initiation rite of any of the peoples in the galaxies, was the only thread that had not been severed completely. So the Doctor had taken it, despite everything; because he knew that there was probably a reason, now lost in the mists of time, why the Timelords had settled for this particular ceremony. So he put his trust in the home now gone, in ancestors he had once shunned. Held out his hand to them and hoped against hope that they would not fail his charge.

They came to a halt, and Alex looked from one to the other, unsure.

"Go on son," the Master said gently, and the boy swallowed and stepped forward.

Silence followed as he slowly walked up to the Schism. The Doctor wasn't aware of holding his breath, but he almost gasped for air as Alexander finally turned.

"I saw it all..."

There was wonder and awe in his voice, and he slowly lifted his head, looking from the Master to the Doctor.

"I... I can see it still... all of time and space... everything that was, everything that will ever be - the vortex - it's in my head!"

He stared ahead, eyes unseeing, before his face suddenly split in a wide grin.

"This is so _cool_!"

The Doctor blinked; reeling. "Cool?"

"Yeah! It's totally amazing! There's so much there... so much to see and find and discover and understand..."

He was almost bouncing, excitement radiating off his entire body. Then he took a deep breath.

"My name will be... the Seeker. Yes, that is who I am." Running to the Master he laughed. "Do you like it Daddy? Do you like my name?"

"I love it!" the Master replied, lifting him up and swinging him round, a wide grin on his face. "Let's go tell your mother!"

The Master walked back to the TARDIS, happily listening to the endless stream of ideas his son was reeling off, as the Doctor extinguished the torches.

And all he could think was, “I didn’t destroy him. He’s OK. He didn’t turn into his father.”

*

  


The little house looked as cosy and welcoming as an advert for Werther's Originals, but the Doctor knew Lucy had been waiting, terrified. The relief on her face when her son rushed into her arms, beaming, did much to calm the Doctor's residual guilt.

"Mummy! It was brilliant! I saw _everything_ \- like everything _ever_ \- and I decided that my name is the Seeker! Because I'm going to seek out the truth of things, see? I'm going to find all the answers to everything, and discover lots and lots of new things. Being a Timelord is the best thing _ever!"_

The Doctor smiled, seeing Lucy's overwhelmed face. "Now, now, Seeker, you don't have to do it all today you know!"

"Doctor..." The boy bit his lip, thinking hard. "My next project is cellular mutations, isn't it? Can I study cancer? That's what grandad died of, isn't it Mummy? I'm sure I could invent a cure, and then other people's grandparents wouldn't die, and that'd be brilliant! If I could borrow-”

The Doctor shook his head vehemently. "Oh no no no! No interfering in the development of humans. _Especially_ not medicine or technology!"

"Oh..."

The boy's face fell, before brightening again a second later.

"What about making my own Millenium Falcon? Daddy said he'd help me, and I think I could work out how to make a real hyperdrive. And I wouldn't show it to anyone, honestly!" Then, seeing the look on the Doctor’s face, he sighed. "Oh but I wouldn't be allowed to fly it, would I?"

Suddenly his eyes grew wide. "Can I make a flying horse? That's possible, right? And I know how to ride already, so I'd just need to work out how to connect the wing muscles properly - oh and I’ll need to make sure the wings are strong enough, maybe I can make the bones like a pterodactyl’s..."

The Doctor dragged a hand across his face. He was suddenly remembering with vivid clarity all of the Rani's single-minded experiments and research, and wondered briefly if she and the Master had been related.

_‘He couldn’t have been one of those who ran away?’_ he thought to himself, tiredly. Holding the boy back had been fraught and difficult so far - now it would be nigh on impossible...

When he looked up, he found the Master studying him, a small superior smile on his face and a strangely triumphant look in his eyes.

"The one thing you can't do - Doctor - is stop him _thinking!"_


End file.
